Right Beside You
by Sakura Sango
Summary: "And when the time comes I will be there again. And if we are destined to be together, we will find each other." She knows, even if this boy sitting beside her does not remember, that he has returned.


**Title:** Right Beside You.

**Author:** Saku

**Rated:** PG-13

**Disclaimer:** I don't own nor do I imply that I do. I am only borrowing the InuYasha characters for my own amusement and will return them when I'm done.

**Warnings: **Character death and angst

**Summary:** "_And when the time comes I will be there again. And if we are destined to be together, we will find each other._" She knows, even if this boy sitting beside her does not remember, that he has returned.

**A/N:** I really have_ no _idea where this came from. I just felt the urge to write it. At first I had wanted to make this a Sesshomaru/Kagome story, but then I realized it would be nearly impossible without a lot of back story. Back story that I didn't want to do. When I planned this I had planned on the two scenes below. And that would be impossible with such a hard paring as that. So I racked my mind and came up with this pairing.

_x-x-x-_

"_Light up, light up  
As if you have a choice  
Even if you cannot hear my voice__  
I'll be right beside you dear"  
~ 'Run' by Snow Patrol_

_x-x-x-_

She feels his heart giving out, as she presses her fingers to his wrist as she learned in class all those months ago. Deep brown eyes slide shut slowly as she tries to keep from crying, forces herself to not show the overwhelming sadness that is consuming her. But no matter how hard she tries, no matter how much she forces herself, the young priestess just cannot keep the overwhelming sadness from creeping into her body as her back slumps and her face softens. Her lips slacken from their thin line as she losses the energy to keep her body rigid.

Fingers intertwine hers, curling around until the two hands interlock together, molding perfectly. And it takes everything inside of her to look up, to look at the beautiful face lying on the thin mat. Slowly the pale, ashen face smiles as dark eyes try to keep the light shining in them for just a little longer. Sweat beads run down his cheek and onto his pallor neck before disappearing into the straw mat under him.

"Don't give that look," he mutters, his tongue slurring a couple of the words as he tries to find the energy to curl it enough to force sounds out. "I much prefer the one you give when we're in bed together." The calm smile slides to a lecherous one; and Kagome has to restrain herself from whacking him with the wooden water pail near her bent legs. Even gravely injured he was still the same lecherous monk that she has always known. Always has been and always will be.

The hut is too dark. The room too small. The smell of mold and mildew and rotting blood fill the small place. Off to the side is a cabinet that is filled with crude tools. Tools that Kagome knows can only cause more harm then good. Blue eyes stare at far wall, body shuddering at the stained instruments that line the wall, hanging by a frayed string. It frustrates her to know that in this era he has to die, while in hers he would have had a fighting chance.

"It's not fair!" She cries out, fist slamming on the mat as she voices her opinion again. The same opinion that she has screamed at InuYasha and Sango and Kaede. The same one that he has listened to while lying and saying the prayers that had been taught to him so long ago. "This is stupid! If only…if only there was a way to bring you back to my time! Then…" Tears cascade down her face as she shakes her head, it is too hard for her to continue.

"Don't."

A warm hand wraps around the intertwined fingers, encasing and engulfing her small, trembling hand in warmth. Soft fingers rub at the back of her hand, tracing the delicate fingers that are wrapped tightly around his.

Looking up from the ground that she kneels on Kagome tries to subdue the tears. Tries to stop them from spilling over and running down her cheeks. Red rimmed, swollen eyes stare at the man before her.

"Don't ever blame yourself. You did nothing wrong. Don't second guess yourself. This was meant to be."

Tears escape the girl again as she falls onto Miroku's chest, her face planted firmly against his clothes. Fingers comb though the long ebony locks as he feels the tears wet the black cloth and spread, the small circle growing. Instead of pushing her away, or trying to grope her butt, or even giving a remark that he knows would make her slap him (even in his current condition) Miroku instead tries to sooth the girl's aching heart. Though he knows he can never fix it, never heal the scars that will appear after today, he wants to help make this as easy as possible.

Breaths rack inside of his lungs as Miroku tries to keep his mind peaceful. He wants to cry right along with her, complain and scream to the heavens above that he was never meant to die this early in his life. Instead he forces the fear of the unknown away as long, soft fingers comb though the wavy tresses that he loved to touch at night, when they would lie beside each other, bodies intertwined.

"No matter what," he talks quietly about anything that crosses his mind. His tongue only saying the words as his brain processes them, Miroku has no idea what he wants to say or how to say it; he only puts his faith in his brain, hoping that it will get what he wants out. "I will always be around. And when the time comes I will be there again. And if we are destined to be together, we will find each other."

'_Perfect,_' he thinks as he feels his heart slow. He knows it is almost time, that his end is near. The iron clasp on his chest makes each breath painful. It takes all of his will power for him to take the next one, as his body fights it.

"Kagome, I love you."

Eyes flutter shut as he feels the last of his will slip away and his body refuses to grab that last breath that he so desperately wants.

Tears overflow deep brown eyes as Kagome cries in overwhelming sadness. "Why!" She beats against his chest, her fist slamming harshly into his left shoulder. "Why is it when you're dying you say those three words I've wanted to hear for a year. No matter how many times I've said it you never repeated them. Why?"

Arms wrap around her stomach, hands pulling away from the lifeless body before her, as she howls in anguish. She feels sick, can barely contain the sadness and nausea that rolls inside of her. Somewhere in her muddled mind Kagome can feel gentle arms wrap around her and pull her away from the small hut. They lead the grief blinded girl outside, she winces at the brightness of the midday sun, and to a tall oak where she can rest against the sturdy trunk. Anguish overwhelms her as she buries her face into the chest of the other person (she only recognizes then that it is Sango that holds her so gently), and she cries bitter tears that she cannot stifle.

_x-x-x-_

Kagome slowly walks towards the tall school, her eyes focus solely on the cement sidewalk and on her feet as the slowly step in front of the other. She does not pay attention to the friends that call out to her, instead opting to just slowly walk past them as her eyes never stray from her feet. There is no fanfare of her miraculous return to school, no more pitying looks as her classmates watch her walk by. As far as they all know Kagome has made a miraculous recovery. All of the ailments that used to keep her away for weeks to months at a time have slipped away and all that remained was a perfectly healthy teenage girl that was able to enjoy a normal life.

The truth of the matter was simple. Kagome no longer had a reason to return to the Feudal Era. After Miroku had died she found it impossible to go back (she still remembers how much it had hurt her to look at Sango in the eyes, knowing that she had loved him too at one time). So with a bowed head, and begging for InuYasha's forgiveness as he ranted at her leaving at such a crucial time, she had turned back for the well with the promise that she would _never_ return again. A promise that she had kept.

Normal life was boring, Kagome had realized that within a week. Though the crippling sadness had kept her from trying to enjoy anything that life could offer.

Silently she passes her friends and sits at her desk, hands resting on the smooth wooden surface. Robotically she moves through the day. When called upon she stands and translates the paragraph into English perfectly. At math she works through the pop quiz, pencil marking the answers fluidly. And though she is able to ace the tests and assignments that are put before her Kagome feels as if she is not there. She feels detached- has felt detached from her body ever since that horrible day a month ago.

It is not until her last class of the day, when the teacher surprises everyone with a new student, that her world freezes for a second. Though the teacher is far from pleased at a student so late in the day (despite how much he apologizes, stating that the plane was later then what anyone had expected it to be), he remains polite and announces cheerfully about the newest addition. Kagome barely listens to the speech that he makes about a new student; it is the same one that she hears year after year. Only the face of the teenager standing beside the teacher changes. Some new students stand at the front of the classroom with wide petrified eyes, while others smile brightly at the prospect of being at a new school.

Doodling in her notebook, Kagome draws long rough vines around her history notes. She ignores the teacher as he explains to the class about how they should treat the new kid with the same respect they would want; as he gently reminds them of how they felt when they were new to the school.

She even refuses to look away from her notes as he motions for her to raise her hand, to signal out which student the new kid should sit by (as if the only empty chair in the entire classroom was not indicative enough). Instead she continues to doodle, only pausing long enough to flip the page in her notebook to copy the Hiragana that the teacher writes on the board.

"Hi," a voice whispers beside her (where the empty desk had been moments ago), "do you mind if I borrow a piece of paper."

Mechanically she rips the sheet away from the notebook and turns to hand it to him. She does not have to look, she could have easily kept writing with her face down in the book before her as her dark hair veils her face from everyone else. Yet as she watches the thin, pale hand grab at the paper she cannot help but to gasp.

It was small, barely noticeable except for when the sun shined on it just right. And it was only for a split second, something that she could have just mistaken. Just a trick of the light. Yet, she knows that mark, even if it was different…closed up. But still the scar was at the perfect location.

_A small round scar in the middle of the boy's right palm, the ends ragged and a couple stray ends spreading closer to his fingers._

"Thank you," he whispers before turning his attention back to the teacher.

Brown eyes glance up, and it takes all of her will power to not scream out in the middle of class. Shakily she presses a hand against her lips, jaw dropping at the mirror image sitting beside her. Though he was slightly shorter and younger looking then what she remembered, he had the same dark eyes that had the slightest hint of purple. Even his hair was the same deep ebony that she remembered _his_ being, even the same small ponytail that barely slipped past his skull.

_Miroku!_

She wants to scream his name, fall onto his shoulder and cry the tears that she has refused to shed for a month now. Swallowing around the sudden lump in her throat she tries to force herself to look away as she writes tries to focus on the sentences on the board. For the first time in a month she finds it impossible to concentrate on her schoolwork.

'_And when the time comes I will be there again. And if we are destined to be together, we will find each other.'_

She knows, even if this boy sitting beside her does not remember, that he has returned.

_x-x-x-_

Uhm…Ok I meant for this to be a one-shot, but I feel I can easily continue it. Should I? I'll let you decide if this is good like this or should I try to keep going. Or was it even a smidge good? Is this just a piece of crap that I'm better ignoring and walking away from forever and chalking up to a big mistake?

Personally I really don't think this is anything too great. So really your input would be nice…


End file.
